How much does BJJ cost: every expense to plan for

Search for “how much does jiu-jitsu cost” and you will almost always get a single figure. That figure is usually the monthly fee, which is the most visible item and not necessarily the heaviest one in your first year.

The items that make up the cost

Not all of them exist everywhere, but these are the ones you will run into.

• Training fee — monthly, quarterly or annual. It often changes depending on how many times a week you train, and the annual option costs less than the monthly one multiplied by twelve.
• Joining fee — a one-off on the way in. Some gyms do not have one; at others it covers your federation registration or a piece of kit.
• Membership and insurance — many schools require you to register with a federation or governing body and to be covered by an annual insurance policy. The rules change from country to country, so ask what applies where you are. It is the item most often forgotten when comparing two quotes.
• Medical clearance — some countries require a medical certificate before you can train, normally at your own expense, and others ask for nothing at all. Competing can require a more thorough examination, renewed every year. Ask the gym what is needed locally.
• The gi — as a rough order of magnitude, 60 to 150 euros; the real range depends heavily on the country and the brand. It is a one-off purchase that lasts years, but it comes up in your first few months. If you train several times a week you will eventually want two.
• No-gi kit — a rash guard and shorts, much cheaper than a kimono.
• Competitions, if you do them — an entry fee per event plus travel. It is optional, but it is the item that can change your annual total the most.

The question that makes two gyms comparable

Instead of asking “how much is it a month”, ask this:

“If I join now and train twice a week for a year, what do I spend in total, membership and insurance included?”

It is a question a serious academy answers in thirty seconds without dancing around it. And it gives you the only number you can genuinely put next to another gym's.

1. 1Ask for the annual total, not the monthly fee.
2. 2Ask what is included and what is not, in particular membership, insurance and the summer months.
3. 3Ask whether the price changes depending on how many times a week you train.
4. 4Ask whether there are reductions for students, families or siblings: they often exist and are almost never written down anywhere.
5. 5Ask what happens if you get injured or go away for two months: the answer tells you a lot about the academy.

Why prices differ so much

• How many hours of mat time you get. A gym with twelve classes a week and one with three are not selling the same thing, even at the same fee.
• Whether the mat space is theirs or rented by the hour. Many small operations pay for mat time in slots, and that shows up in both the price and the timetable.
• The city. The cost of space moves the price more than any other variable.
• Whether other disciplines are included in the same fee, such as no-gi, wrestling or strength and conditioning.

Price on its own does not tell you whether a gym is the right one. The things that really matter are elsewhere, and we have put them here: How to choose a BJJ gym.

How to save money without choosing badly

• Do not buy a gi before you have trained. Many gyms lend one for the first few classes.
• Your first kimono does not have to be the nice one. A cheap gi, looked after, lasts years; the expensive one will not pass anybody's guard for you.
• Only consider the annual option after a few months, once you know you will actually keep going.
• Trial classes are free almost everywhere, and doing more than one is normal: use them.